Canucks place Demko on injured reserve and reveal when he will return

The Canucks have been at a significant disadvantage the last two weeks with Demko out of the lineup, and any injury to a star player is worrisome at this time of the year. Being placed on LTIR, Demko now can't return to the lineup until April 6th or later.

Actually placing Demko on LTIR seems to be a paper transaction for the Canucks, and isn't indicative of his recovery time. According to reports from Rick Dhaliwal, Demko will return to play 2 or 3 games before the playoffs begin.

While it's good news for the Canucks that this is just a paper transaction and Demko will return before the playoffs, it's still a concern to have a superstar goalie begin the postseason coming off a significant knee injury. Demko is vital to the Canucks success as an elite goaltender who can bail out a team that still has some defensive lapses. It's a positive he'll be able to play a few games at the end of the season, but re-aggravating that knee will be a concern for Demko and Canucks fans in the first round.

The Canucks seem to have finally put together the pieces needed to realize the full potential of their roster this year, which has always had the talent needed to win. Under the guidance of Jack Adams' candidate Rick Tocchet, the team should have high hopes heading into the playoffs, even though they haven't been in several years.